Wednesday, June 29, 2011

reader's choice survey

You only have today and tomorrow to submit your votes for the MidMo's first ever reader's choice survey.  Go here to do it.

Also, Joshua Ploeg, the traveling vegan chef, is going to be in Sac in July and wants to cook some dinners.  If you don't know, when you engage Joshua, he will come to your house and cook a vegan feast.  Here's the email he sent out, reach him at thetravelingchef@gmail.com

Hey Folks
Well, I'm on a trip at the moment yet again (in Pittsburgh, getting ready to cook up a storm).
When that ends, I'm looking at July as California month
feel free plz. to book a delightful vegan dinner, tea party, brunch or other event (something artistic mayhaps?)
in Sacramento or the Bay Area July 3rd-10th or July 24th-31st
lots of options in there. I have already booked the 28th, the rest remains free
let me know if you have an idea
I might do a pickup day somewhere in there, but not sure yet
Hope the summer is treating you all well and see you soon
Much Love
Chef Joshua
 
oh yes and if you go here:
you will find "So Raw It's Downright Filthy", my amusingly irreverent raw cookzine (featuring b+w pictures of trash instead of food, oh the artistry!)
good times!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

submerge + bows + fatface

I usually read submerge, but somehow I missed this whole issue. Did you guys read this article?

criminy

Yipes and criminy.  Does anyone say these words out loud anymore?  What does criminy mean or originate from?  Did you know G. Green is playing tonight with Animals and Men at the Press Club, which is a band that everyone thinks smiller will know about but that he doesn't.  And English Singles are playing with them tomorrow in Oakland.  Where is that show?
 Do you have too many beans?  I now officially do.  I have a bag of them in my fridge right now, making me feel guilty, as if I need anything else to feel guilty about! Fuck you, beans.  If you have too many, here's a tip: boil for 2-3 minutes then plunge in cold water.  Make a dressing with canola oil, dijon mustard, champagne vinegar, lots of tarragon and a clove of garlic.  Use a blender or a rough chop of herbs, doesn't really matter.  Serve cold.  Great the next day.
 Here's the new MOM tape out on Burger, Moms Greatest Shits.  I picked it up at Phono Select.  It's really good sunny day driving around music, believe it or not.
Here's Charles' album face
Here's Scott's DJ face.  I asked him to make this, BTW.  He really saved the day because some of us thought there were like three bands playing.  He kept it tight until the end, when he played Stray Cats.
Gaba's album face
I saw this sight at a Thrift Store, on probably 8 tvs at once. This is some peoples worst nightmare.
look how cute!

Friday, June 24, 2011

Charles Albright Special



Jed's band (San Kazagaskar) is playing tonight at Lugi's with Art Lessing.  Should be a good time. It's going to include a 9 man psychedlic jam.  Here's one of those crazy video flyers that all the kids are making.

Also, here's a rad post on the Phono Select blog about the special they're running on Charles Albright releases.  If you buy both 7 inches you get a free Bud Light.  I heard that if you buy every Sacramento Records release at the Sacramento Records showcase on Saturday, Charles will personally visit your house with a corgi.

Riot Grrl Friday!

I need some advice.  My sister has been cutting my hair for 10 years, but she moved to L.A.  Who can I go to just to cut my bangs?  Do fancy salons charge less for a bang trim?  Last time Great Clips butchered it worse than when I cut them myself.  I need help now.  I can barely see this screen.

I'm a little disappd that the Calvin Johnson debate didn't keep raging on in the comments below.  Or descriptions of my smell.  Even the fact that Calvin Johnson is such a polarizing figure is pretty interesting.  Isn't there some anecdote about him enraging Rollins sometime?  Oh yeah, the internet has an answer for that, written by Lois Maffeo no less (fuck! I forgot about her. Butterfly Kiss was one of my favorite albums of the riot grrl era, and I am getting goosebumps listening to the song above).  Here's what she wrote in The Stranger in 1999.  Read the rest of the take down here, it's pretty crazy

About a million years ago, Black Flag played at the Tropicana in Olympia. Beat Happening opened. As Calvin Johnson pranced and tummy-hopped around, you could see Rollins behind the stage looking increasingly incredulous. Was Johnson mocking Rollins' macho stage presence by offering the exact opposite? Was Rollins being upstaged? His gall visibly rising, Rollins planted himself in the front row, directly in front of Calvin, and began taunting the singer. Johnson, who never backed down from a heckler in his life, ignored the braying of insults and soldiered on. Finally, in exasperation, Rollins reached up and placed his hand over Johnson's crotch. Johnson merely took a step back, looked Rollins in the eye, and said, "Didn't your mother teach you any manners?" Apparently not.
Spent some quality time on the Bows patio yesterday.  I don't usually like fruit salsa but I should have known that Jaymes would make a good version of it.  I forced the server to let me take a picture.
Then we quaffed this golden beauty.  Delicious.  A strange guy made me autograph a MidMo (he did not know who I was, he just eavesdropped on us talking about MidMo) and I fell for it and now I think it was some kind of identity theft scam or something.  What do I do?
More refreshing beverages.  This is the blueberry ginger kombucha from Sugar Plum Vegan.  This might be my summer jam.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Babs has issues: part 2, the revenge of Bab's issues

 This cute sight can mean only one thing: Bunchy was at my house.  Babs really put in some time in the ol magazine rack, including taking a very tense nap.
 In the quest to always write about the new, the hip, and the obscure, it can be easy to forget the restaurants that just carry on quietly turning out excellent food.  Kru is one of those places, and I'm lucky that it's one of the restaurants closest to my house.  For four bucks they give you a pretty enormous serving of sunomono, and could there be a cooler, more refreshing snack when it's like 103 degrees outside?  The paper thin texture was so pleasing because somehow the slices retained their crunch.  It was just lightly vinegared, with a slick of sesame oil.
 Billy Ngo sent out an amuse bouche of, I believe, hamachi in a poke marinade, with a half cherry tomato, slivered red onion, and micro cilantro on top.  A single bite of summer.

This is my usual at Kru: the chef's choice nigiri.  Always something new and tasty.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Best Summer Ever (chant)

We definitely kicked off the Best Summer Ever with a nuclear explosion.  In fact, I was apparently so jazzed that I only needed to sleep from about midnight to 3 in the morning last night and now I am insane.  Well, I feel insane, maybe that's different from being insane.

Thanks to everyone at Bows, from what I could tell the staff handled the crush with aplomb.  I split the roast pork sandwich with my mom and it was delish.  I also had, I think, 3 glasses of wine and 3 beers.  Yes, I can admit that, it's part of why I feel top notch right now.  And I had the MidMo pop, which is incredibly good.  DJ Mike C. played excellent jamz, and the Best Summer Ever band and Buk Buk were great too.

Do you know about the Sacramento Records showcase at Phono Select on Saturday?  It might be crammed with industry and A & R types, but don't let that deter you because Scott is DJing!!! If I know that dude I know he will put a lot of thought into what he plays.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

ouch!

Yeah! This is happening.  Tonight! Sandwich! Wine! Brew! Popsicle! Jams! Buk! Buk! Bigups!

Do you know about the Paul Collins show on July 4th at Sol Collective?  I'm about to blow your mind: Calvin Johnson and Dreamdate are also on the bill.  That's a pretty random grab bag of all interesting stuff.  I interviewed Paul C. yesterday for the SNR and he is such a rad dude.  I knew he would be but he was even better than I thought.

Speaking of interviews, MidMo has a doozy coming up.  Tony King interviewed a local music celebrity and let me just give you a teaser: broken testicles.

Monday, June 20, 2011

partay

I have just been too damn busy to post.  Come to the MidMo partay tomorrow (Tuesday) and party hearty.  You must know the details by now, right?  If not you are just not paying attention.

Friday, June 17, 2011

adorbs


Look at this adorable video that AZ made for the Best Summer Ever Party.

Wow, what a turnout last night.  Sacramento you are the best.  We soldiered (well, not we, I didn't do anything) through some gnarly technical difficulties which delayed things a bit but it came out ok in the end and led to us selling more beer.  The panel was good, Skinner made a crack that he had eaten a pot brownie earlier in the day which was classic.  I hadn't talked to Skinner much in years and he is really a force of nature, I don't know how else to put it.  He has a crazy new website up if you want to know what he's up to, which is a lot.  Such as turning down an offer from Criss Angel and Tim Allen according to his twitter?

So much going on this weekend.  French Film Festival, which is on the cover of the Ticket (I'm picking up the Bee for my neighbor on vacation), Scouse Gits show at the Blue Lamp, Movies on a Big Screen on Sunday is showing a movie by the makers of Heavy Metal Parking Lot called Heavy Metal Picnic.  Here's the description from the website:

The film focuses on the 1985 Full Moon Jamboree, a weekend field party bacchanal that took place at "The Farm," home to a cast of colorful characters who lived and partied alongside unamused neighbors in the McMansions of Potomac. The Full Moon Jamboree, an affair so raucous that it made the evening news, was the farm party to end all farm parties, and much of it was recorded using a home video camera and a stolen CBS News microphone swiped from the Reagan Inauguration earlier that year. Twenty-five years later, we revisit the scene and meet the people behind the party, as well as the musicians who performed there, including mid-Atlantic doom metal icons Asylum. 


Man, and speaking of movies, the new Woody Allen AND the new Terence Malick are playing at Tower and Meek's Cutoff is still playing at the Crest.  How will I find the time?  Answer: I won't.  My tolerance for Malick has actually gone down in recent years.  Badlands is a stone classic, but other than that, I'm not sure.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Marwencol tonight!

Screening of Marwencol at the Verge tonight.  7:30.  Liv and I visited Skinner in his studio last night to talk about the panel discussion.  What an amazing guy.  He has a lot to say, and I'm sure he will say some of it tonight. 

Man, all this stuff going on and the French Film Festival starts this weekend, too.  I love the poster that Dane H. designed. I know no one is reading this because you are all nattering on facebook, but does anyone have any recs for must-sees?  I've seen Pierrot le fou.  What about the Jacques Demy movie?  I am not a big fan of French New Wave.  I don't get it.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Montel Williams?

Why is Montel all up in our shit? World class city!  He just opened a weed club on 29th and U and now he's going to be at the Comedy Spot doing improv? Sometime in July I guess.

yipes

Here's a rather grainy photo of a Fat Face bbq'ed pork sandwich that I had for dinner last night.  So good!  That reminds me, the last day for submissions to the Fat Face popsicle contest is Friday, so get your submissions in to flavorcontest@midtownmonthly.net  Jaymes and I were agreeing that we are getting some really good submissions and she's stoked to try one out.  And the winner will get a 25 dollar gift certificate!

We had a meeting last night at Bows Collective to talk about the Midtown Monthly Best Summer Ever party which is at Bows next Tuesday, June 21st, the first day of summer!  Kick summer off right with the Best Summer Ever band, DJ Mike C., Buk Buk Bigups, the MidMo popsicle, and a free raffle.

Yipes, and don't forget Marwencol at the Verge on Thursday with a panel discussion led by yours truly.  Fuck.

Oh yeah, and if we're looking forward to the weekend (which I kind of am but kind of not because I have to go to Old Sac with my family) a hot new band the Scouse Gits is debuting, wait why is there no information about this on undietacos? What's the deal? It's at the ToHo?

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

reader's choice

Hey guys-Don't forget to fill out the online survey for the first annual MidMo reader's choice awards.  If you don't have answers for all the categories then just fill in the ones you do have answers for and submit.  Thank you

Monday, June 13, 2011

Monday grab bag

I have to start every post all week with the obligatory reminder that the next Verge movie night is THIS THURSDAY at 7:30 pm.  The movie is a fascinating documentary called Marwencol about ahem, an outsider artist, for lack of a better term.  Our panel has a neuroscientist, a gallery director, and Skinner.  
 Cherry season.  I was going to make a clafoutis, but instead I just snacked on the cherries.
 I took this picture at the Davis Beer Shoppe.  They let you bring in food, so I got the Milano sandwich (salami, mortadella, peperoncini, meunster, oil and vinegar) from Zia's and a Hansen's gueuze.

This is the ice cream sundae from the Ginger Elizabeth ice cream social.  The combo of the honey ice cream and the soft, stewed apricots was dynamite.  My only quibble, which won't stop me from trying next month's sundae, is that I wish they would not serve it in a paper bowl.  I would love to have a glass dish.  It just makes it feel fancier, and for seven bucks, I want it to feel a little fancy.
  This image, and the one below are from the Non Solo show at CCA on 19th street.  This pretty lady (such dewy skin!) was part of the installation, and was enmeshed in a big piece of fabric on the ground. Non Solo is a group of Brooklyn-based artists who take a cue from the punk world by touring together in a tricked-out van. They also sell merch, which makes it seem more like a show and less like an art piece.

Also interesting is the Bren Ahearn show at Evolve in Oak Park.  He does needlepoint and stitchery, and some textile design.  I like his series focusing on the Ultimate Fighting Championship.  His work is very focused on masculinity and homerotiscism (fuck, how do you spell that?)  He lives in  Midtown and he's a super nice guy.  I hope to profile him at some point.

We also stopped by the "that's so gay" them show at Tangent Gallery on Franklin.  There's been a bit of controversy in the local artistic community about that theme, and Gale Hart, who took issue with it, was outside in a sort of friendly protest.  She had made some thought-provoking posters riffing on the theme such as "that's so retarded" for art by developmentally delayed adults.  You get the idea.

 I've had a recipe for a "rustic breakfast sandwich" by Nancy Silverton on my fridge forever, and I finally decided to make it.  Anyone who is even partially responsible for the pizzeria at Mozza is OK in my book.  These are chives and scallions from my garden (is that a brag?)
 You make scallion oil with olive oil in the blender.
 
 This is manchego and speck.  I was supposed to use serrano ham but I like speck, so sue me.
 One of those Grace Baking pugliese loaves from Corti Bros.
 I got this Basque cider at the Davis Beer Shoppe.  I loved it!  Perfect for morning drinking.  It's acidic, funky, apple-y, and crazy.  It has the hugest chunks of yeast in it.



Here's the finished sandwich.  You toast one piece of bread per sandwich, rub a cut piece of garlic on it, add some thin shavings of manchego and some scallion oil, then the ham, then a poached egg and some cheese and oil for garnish.  The best thing is that the scallion oil will keep and it's a great sandwich spread.  The recipe called for arugula, but my arugula got roached because of the hail and storms, so I left it off.  If you wanted to make a vegetarian version you could just add the arugula and cut out the ham.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Have a good weekend!


ME AT NINE, PERFORMING TO MADONNA IN SUMMER '91! from Robert Jeffrey on Vimeo.

one of those nights


I had one of those nights, we've all had them.  You know, the nights when you have one drink too many and buy a rather pricy (but worth it, early 70s deadstock) Sha Na Na tshirt that may be too small for you.  Watching the clip above, I don't care if I have to lose ten pounds, I will cram myself into the Sha Na Na shirt.  Remember how Sha Na Na played Woodstock?  The best thing about that clip, besides how rad they are, is the audience reaction.
I made it out to new Bows Collective after missing all their opening festivities and was stoked to discover that they have the very best patio in Sacramento.  It is delightful.
It's so lived-in and homey already.
Look at this table full of handsome dudes.  I like this photo because I scooped the News and Review with it.  You'll see.

So a month or so ago I found out about the Ginger  Elizabeth ice cream socials.  Do you know about these?  They're always on second Saturday, and I guess she had them last year and I missed all of them.  I'm just glad I know about them now, because she has some truly wild flavors going on.  For instance the one tomorrow is: fromage blanc ice cream, local honey ice cream, thyme and butter roasted apricots, apricot jus, brioche bread  puding, chantilly cream.  Fucking insane.  They're 7 bucks.  I'm really excited about the one in August, which is raw milk ice cream!  I've always wanted to make raw milk ice cream.  In fact, I have a new, better hand crank ice cream maker so I should get going on that.  The one in October has cardamom ice cream, coffee ice cream, and donut holes.  Fuuuuckkk.

Also, on Saturday it's Hullaballoo with DJ Hailey Bop at the Fox and Goose.  And if you want to know what art openings to check out, read Tim's art picks.

Thursday, June 09, 2011

Found mag

My interview with Davy Rothbart of Found Magazine is in the SNR today.  He's going to be in Sac on Sunday at Movies on a Big Screen because he's the subject of a new documentary called "My Heart Is An Idiot".  I watched the screener and it was not what I expected at all from reading Found and hearing Davy on This American Life.  It was an interesting movie but I came away with a bad taste in my mouth about the dude in general.  But then talking to him, he told me how the experience of editing the movie had changed his view on things, and he talked about how it was hard to watch some of the things he had done, and my sympathies shifted again.  Not all of that is in the interview, because it was long, and if you haven't seen the movie you wouldn't get some of it.  But anyway, MOBS will be screening it and Davy and the director will be there and you should check it out.

And speaking of movies...Marwencol will be at Verge one week from tonight.  Even if you've seen it, come for the camaraderie and the discussion.  It will be scintillating, perhaps even titillating, certainly enervating.  No wait, not enervating. It will be nervating?

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Nicasso

Nic branches out into short films.  The camera loves him.

FatFace popsicle contest info!

I posted info on the FatFace popsicle flavor contest on the MidMo blog, so check it out (link at right) and start submitting! A 25 dollar gift certificate and the chance to eat a pop in your flavor at the MidMo party are at stake.

Bows, FatFace, and MH all got some nice press today, although I can't say I'm a fan of the remark about the beer list sounding "bougie".  Let's just get past all those judgements and drink some delicious beer, shall we?  Also, typos ahoy.

digestion roulette

oh my god, how is it the 8th already?  And I've been neglecting to plug a couple of events I'm involved with.  Two big ones.  The anxiety of helping to plan events is kinda keeping me up at night, just between you and me.  And there's no one else here, right?  Also, if it's confession time I just ate some pretty questionable yogurt for breakfast.  Why do I do that?  If I get sick it's totally not going to have been worth it.  If I don't get sick, I win?  It's digestion roulette.

EVENT ONE: A compelling documentary called Marwencol at the Verge.  Thursday, June 16th.  7:30 pm.  This time it's five bucks because we need to cover the cost to get the film.  We have a fucking dynamite panel for this one.  UC Davis Nelson Gallery director Renny Pritikin, UC Davis neuroscientist Kathleen Baynes, and Skinner.  You gotta watch the trailer to figure out why these particular panelists are so great (sorry for the ad)


EVENT TWO: Midtown Monthly Best Summer Ever Party at Bows Collective.  It's on Tuesday, June 21st.  6:00-10:00.  There will be music, including a performance by Amanda Cook.  I will have more details in a bit for you.

Tuesday, June 07, 2011

let me tell you a slightly NSFW story

I finally joined facebook, and I plan to check it once a day in the morning.  So far, it doesn't seem that tempting cuz I can't really figure out what's going on.  

I just got back from the Stinson Beach area, so nice!  Even with the rain.  I missed a lot, including new Bow's first art opening.  Today is their first official day of business.  That's really exciting.

 Got some oysters at the Drake's Bay oyster farm.  They were good, but at this time of year some of them were really filled with eggs, or jizz, or whatever that milky gooey stuff is.  Oh welll, they still tasted all right.
 Secret beach in Bolinas area.  Email me and I'll tell you how to find it.  Or facebook me?  It's rocky but secluded.

 Rock man with seaweed for a hand

 There's a new cafe in the Pt. Reyes Station vicinity, as if that town could get any cooler.  It's Marin Sun Farms - owned by a 4th generation Pt. Reyes rancher.  This is their burger, which comes standard with bacon and cheddar, and fries fried in lard.  This was very, very good and I love the atmosphere of this place (you can eat outside sitting on hay bales), however, it was excessively rich.  I'm already eating a giant burger, I don't need you to soak the delicious pretzel bun in butter and fry the fries in lard.  Oh well, it was still awesome.  They also have other stuff such as lamb burgers with lamb bacon and a merguez sandwich.  And a good bottled beer selection.  They even have Blue Bottle coffee! Pt. Reyes is total yuppie heaven.

After the jump, I'll tell you a cool story with a tasteful, small NSFW picture that you probably won't get in trouble for looking at...

Friday, June 03, 2011

girl power Friday?

Aaron put together a promo video for the Buk Buk Bigups show on Sunday. I like it!

I need some cheering up, do you?  This video is helping

This one is also badass

Thursday, June 02, 2011

Goodbye Steve

We had to put Steve Miller to sleep yesterday.  It was a hard decision, but the people who work at Midtown Animal Hospital were great, and it was because of them that she lived over another year happy and fat after her thyroid went crazy.  I think this picture is the last one of her.
 If you knew her, you knew she was a weird, awesome cat.



 We love you Steve!

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Herzog does it again

If you go to the late show, Herzog's voice may lull you to sleep, but I still recommend "Cave of Forgotten Dreams".  It's playing in 3D at Century on Arden.  It is really the only chance you will ever get to see these amazing cave paintings, and the 3D makes it almost like being there.  Here are some kitties
 Horses and fighting rhinos
 Cool rhino